Halihurton Lanark Renfrew Leeds & Grenville Hastings Prescott & Russell Peterborough Stormont Dunclas & Glengarry Kawartha Lakes Northumberland [Ey - Prince Edward Lennox and Addington Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus Acting in Partnership. c/c County of Prince Edward, 332 Main Street, Picton ON KOK 2T0 Picton, November 2, 2017 The Honourable Kathleen Wynne Premier of Ontario 99 Wellesley Street West Whitney Block, 6th Floor Toronto ON M7A IAI SUBJECT: Financial Impacts of Bill 148 on Municipalities’ Operations Dear Premier Wynne: Thank you for taking the time to address the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) on October 19 during the breakfast meeting held with MPPs and Ministers at Queen’s Park. In particular, you may recall the discussion regarding the significant financial impacts of Bill 148 on Ontario’s municipalities and their day-to-day operations. As you are aware, there is a great deal of concern in the municipal sector regarding the potential costs associated with Bill 148, most notably in the areas of fire services and public works operations, both of which are essential services. With the draft Bill now progressing toward final reading, the EOWC wishes to reiterate the position that detailed exemptions must be made for municipal staff providing essential services on a standby or on-call basis. As of the writing of this letter, our member municipalities have not been able to ascertain the exact financial impact of the proposed Bill — and specifically how and when the on-call or standby provisions apply. The negative impacts of Bill 148 on rural Ontario municipalities, in its current form, cannot be stressed enough. Several of our Counties have calculated that the cost of volunteer firefighter standby pay would increase their operational costs by more than $10 million annually. This is simply unaffordable, and if imposed, municipalities would likely be forced to abandon this service. The EOWC — on behalf of its member municipalities and in solidarity with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) — is looking for key amendments so that municipal governments can deliver their statutory obligations, including: • An exemption for municipal and local board employees who are required to be on-call to provide statutory public safety services, including supervisory and managerial staff; • An exemption for volunteer firefighters for matching equal pay to full-time firefighters, including pay for standby and on-call; Halihurton Lanark Renfrew Leecis & Grenville Hastings Prescott & Russell Peterborough Stormont Dundas & Glengarry Kawartha Lakes Northumberland FOWC Lennox and Addington Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus Acting in Partnership. • A specific reference that Bill 148 requirements do not override other statutory obligations that municipal governments are required to provide public safety; • An exemption to the proposed 96-hour cancellation notice of scheduling provision, whereby for work cancelled without a 96-hour notice, employees would receive three hours pay, and for additional shifts without notice, employees would have the right to refuse work. For essential services, such as winter road maintenance, fire services, and long-term care, these provisions could leave municipalities with additional costs and/or a shortage of employees. At its last meeting, the EOWC also unanimously adopted the attached resolution on Bill 148, which our members implore you to consider in addition to the points emphasized in this letter. Thank you, Premier Wynne, for your attention to this important matter. Sincerely, Robert Quaiff Chair, Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus cc: Members of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus Association of Municipalities of Ontario The Hon. Kevin Flynn, Minister of Labour The Hon. Bill Mauro, Minister of Municipal Affairs The Hon. Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Members of Provincial Parliament representing Eastern Ontario MPP Patrick Brown, Leader of the Official Opposition MPP Ernie Hardeman, Critic, Municipal Affairs and Housing MPP Percy Hatfield, Critic, Municipal Affairs.